[A nimble hand idly turns the bracelet a moment before pursed lips and sharp blue eyes come into view.]

A'right. Now what sort of drug induced fun fair is this? I'll say now I'm not really interested in another war. There's nothing to be gained from it. Least not on my end. I've got wars and bullshit enough where I've come from. The like that I've got stock in.

And the like that I need to be getting back to.

[Thomas shoves a hand in his coat pocket and digs around for a moment before his face turns from indifferent to downright annoyed, nose wrinkling and brows furrowing darkly]

Where the fuck can you get cigarettes 'round 'ere?

[He checks the other pocket with a dark look before finding a small wood toothpick that must have been left in his pocket from the Garrison. He sticks it between his teeth, gnawing it at it distractedly.]

If I'm to be stuck in this place, I want a smoke.

 

[There’s a close-up of an eye first, topped by a bushy eyebrow, and then the image pulls back to reveal the stern-looking face of an older man. When he speaks, it’s brisk, with a Scottish accent.]

Interesting communication device you’ve got there, definitely not like any technology I recognise. It obviously broadcasts a signal - or else I’m talking to myself, which is one of the signs of a severely disturbed mind - but how? And, more importantly, to whom?

What I’m really interested in here, though, is how you’ve managed to muck around with my biology. I’ve been human once or twice, but the change involved is a bit complicated and messy. Here I am, though, human again, no scars, all my memories intact, and I’d quite like to know how you’ve done it.

[A pause, and then he narrows his gaze.]

And then I’d like you to change me back.

[ the small girl on the video feed is a far cry away from the woman that she'll become; the facial structure is similar and the eyes are the same - but everything else screams of fear - her shoulders are hunched, she's hugging herself, and her eyes are wide. regardless of her body language, however, the girl puts on a brave face, swallowing hard before facing the video. ]

Is this how to use this .. ? Hello? [ she's tentative, and then her voice grows stronger. ]

I've been here for a few hours now and I don't know where I am or how I got here. Mum said I'm not supposed to go wandering off, but I promise I didn't this time. I just closed my eyes and when I opened them..

[ she was here. or so it seemed. ]

Anyway, I'm not asking for help or anything. [ she's very fierce about this point. ] If you can just tell me where I am and how I can get back, I'll leave you alone. This doesn't look like London to me, so I must have been brought here by someone and gotten away from them. Maybe I'm in Southampton? Or somewhere near to London?

[ hopefully.

if it wasn't for the name on the bracelet, she'd be unrecognizable as one cursed irene adler, reverted back to her seven or eight year-old self. ]

[There's a video that emerges, early in the morning, before the sun even rises. At first, the feed shows nothing but black, but then there's the sound of something heavy dropping to the ground. It takes a moment, but the ambient light of the surroundings finally catches sight of an anonymous Asgardian, grey, bound, and swiftly pressed down by a boot to the chest.]

... Asgard, no matter what incarnation I find you in, you prove as inconsequential and worthless as ever. [There is no rush to his statement, each word is said with weight and purpose, and to say Malekith speaks with distaste - it would be a severe understatement.]

You drag me from the edges of Hel, and for what farce? Giants? Again you prove yourselves too shortsighted to realize what danger lies at your very door. [He reinforces his stance as his captive gives a struggle, and as Malekith continues, the sneer can almost be heard in his voice. And though he has made no point of turning the camera upon himself, and clearly will not be doing so, the name tag associated to this clip announces him, overriding any title he ascribed to himself in conversation during the previous days. He is not Malekith of Svartalfheim nor Malekith the Sorcerer.]

The darkness has come to fall upon your realm, Asgardians, and you have only yourselves to blame.

[This is Malekith the Accursed, and he is calling out any who would stand against him.]

[The scene opens up to Ellie's face. It's dark, and there's blood on her cheeks, smeared back into her hair. There are tears in her eyes, and she's fucking frantic.]

SOS- fuck, we- we need a healer.

[Over the top of her voice is another, almost shouting 'no, we don't!']

Gelfion Park, we've got-

[Her voice breaks.]

Two dead.


( (Cut for blood and gore.) )

[ Hello from the clinic! AKA, not a very exciting background but, hey. One can't have everything. Deal with it. ]

Good day ... Travellers. This is a bit belated but is everyone holding up all right? After the battle.

Anyway. I'm John Watson, and I run the Yakuzen Clinic, [ he probably pronounces that terribly lbr, ] in the Heimdall district, so you're free to come by if you've ever got any health issues. There's also the hospital in Sigyn, if you'd prefer that. And I've got some job offers!

We've pretty much got doctors covered, but none with ... magical Healing abilities, so if you've got that and no job we could use that. Otherwise we need secretaries, and a cleaner.

[ A pause, and he looks to the side, licks his lower lip as he tries to remember what else he intended to say. ]

To anyone new, welcome to Asgard! You sort of got thrown right into the fray there. So, if you haven't figured that bit out yet, the war is pretty real. You can think it can't be the end of all worlds as much as you like, but the war is definitely ... happening. No one's going to force you to get involved, but if you like, there are a few things you could look into.

First, there's the Citadel that teaches people how to fight, basically. With swords, or hand to hand, or guns, whatever. There's also the Guard. I ... think that's still around? If you'd like to get involved in anything more organised to protect the city. Both of those are run by Arthur Pendragon. For the powers we've gained, there's the Teacher's Council. Pretty explanatory title. And for something more supportive, there's the Medic Corps. Both of those are run by Merlin. Lastly, there's ... a guild ... to learn runes. Rune magic. Called Grimiore's Sigil. Run by Aladdin. So there's also that option.

But, even if you don't want to get involved, just ... stay safe. Be cautious. Doctor's orders.

[ He's about to send the post, but catches himself, and raises a finger high enough for it to be visible on screen as he puts on an exaggerated stern expression. ]

And I am not the official announcer for these things, by the way. I just figured I might as well do it all in one go.

[ And he relaxes. ]

Oh, and, I suppose people might actually be interested in this. I have ... been keeping a journal, of things that have happened while I've been here. I suppose, if anyone would like, you're welcome to read it.

Aaaand, that's it. I think.

[ He rubs a finger slowly over his temple. ]

Yeah, it is.

So. Have a good day.

[ With a wave and a skew smile, he finally sends it. ]

[ when the feed comes up, you can see kate sitting at a desk. around her are piles of boxes, stacked on the desk she's sitting at as well as the floor and the tables around her. the room looks a little dim, like it hadn't been opened in months and just left to collect dust. kate, herself, has been trying to organize the room in some way- though at this point it looks like she's just messed it up more than ever before.

she's part-way through running her fingers through her hair when the video comes up, catching the tail end of --er good at paperwork before she realizes the bracelet's on and she smiles, sitting up a little straighter. ]

I'm Kate Beckett, for those here who are...well. I guess new wouldn't be the right word. I was here in Asgard before, a few months ago, so there might be some people who remember this, but-

Last time I was in the city I was a part of an organization, called the Forensics Unit. It was started up by Conan Edogawa, to act as a sub-set of the hospital laboratory for investigation into suspicious deaths and accidents in the city. I've got a- [ she makes a scrunched up face, pressing a few buttons on the bracelet before relaxing again. ] More information's attached to this message, but I'm here to ask if there's anyone in the city now who is interested.

[ at this point, a ruggedly handsome face creeps into the corner of the video screen next to kate’s. ] Besides me, she means. Although I’m really all the partner she needs. [ castle raises an eyebrow. it’s not that he doesn’t want more people to join the forensics unit, he just likes making it clear that he’s one kate’s greatest assets.

kate just kind of rolls her eyes at the camera, looking over at him with a vaguely unimpressed, though fairly fond expression until he moves back out of the screen and she turns her attention back to the camera. ]

I'm- I was just a detective back home. NYPD. Conan was more concerned with the actual forensics investigation side of it, but we did some good as a unit. With as big as this city is, and has gotten since I left, having a team that was at least familiar with how to solve cases was useful. There were times we acted as first responders, but that wasn't the original purpose. [ kate pauses a moment here, as if she's trying to remember if there's anything else she should add, before shifting a little in her seat and continuing. ] If anyone here has previous experience with law enforcement, or something similar, let me know.

[ off screen, castle’s voice can be heard again. ] We’ll take crime novelists too. Obviously.

attached: forensics unit.doc



[ ooc: first, blue is kate beckett and red is richard castle. second, the forensics unit was a group founded by a previous player! with some permission and a little leg work I'm going to try and get it up and running again. If you'd like to get your character involved you can have them talk about it here or feel free to contact me on plurk at disarmingly or through PM on this account. c: I'm currently am trying to set up the sign up pages and things but I thought I'd put this up anyway!

do not post to the linked document that is just for extra reading information. thank you so much! ]

Hello, fellow unwilling citizens and visitors of this fine city, how are you today? Stressed? A bit down, perhaps? Scared, maybe?

[ okay seriously guy, half the city is missing, fire giants are attacking the city, and people are watching their friends rapidly disappear without any explanation or hint as to where they might have gone. understatement of the year.

he's trying not to be too loud, as he's sitting in some secluded section of the Great Library, and wary of disturbing other patrons. you know, despite the fact the apocalypse is happening outside. or what Shaun would consider the apocalypse back home anyway, far as he's concerned, it's a normal bloody Tuesday in Asgard. ]

Well, in light of recent events, I could understand everyone being a little tense. So, for anyone interested, I thought I might offer one-on-one yoga sessions, you know? I'm familiar enough with the Kundalini and Sivananda styles of yoga, though I'm versed in a few other types as well. Always good to clear your chakras and all.

[ what do you mean 'bad timing' it's always a good time for yoga! ]

All right, so I was planning a much more exciting introduction to the wonder of Santana Lopez, but instead, you're gonna have to deal with this because, OK, I've only been here for ... not very long, and do people just have this weird compulsion to keep killing each other? I mean, if we're supposed to buy this whole "God Thing" -- and trust me, I'm not sure I do -- aren't we supposed to also expect them to stop murders and crap?

Come on already, if you've really got the need to keep murdering people, can you stop broadcasting it to everyone? And if you find a dead body, why do you have to make sure everyone knows? Apparently it's commonplace.

Because seriously, I didn't exactly choose to come here, and now people are forcing me to give a damn about a bunch of people who have died.

[The truth is that she's scared. But Santana Lopez is not going to admit to that.]

And you know what the solution to that is? People not dying.

So get on it. Gods or ... whoever. Or be like real murderers and make sure that no one finds out.

Oh, and give me my damn voice back already because if I've gotta take up being a mime for the rest of my life—well, let's be fair. If people have to look at me, they won't mind, but I don't want to deprive the world of the rest of what makes me awesome.

[Text]

[Before daybreak, a text message is released to the network. It's rather straight to the point.]

Makoto Naegi has been found dead in the Sigyn Welcome Hall. His body is still here. I don't have many details at the moment, I'm afraid.

I couldn't help him. I'm sorry.

( Action for Sigyn, under a cut just in case. Triggers: blood, death, etc. )

[When the feed starts, it shows a young girl of about eight or nine years old, her hair cut short and mostly hidden under a cap with a 'D' at the front, hair pulled back into little pigtails messily. Clearly she tries to do her hair herself. Her clothes are obviously new, much cleaner than what people might have initially seen her wearing, due to Sandy assisting her in acquiring new clothes and throwing out her bloodstained tunic dress.

She gives a small wave when she realizes it must be on.]

H-hello? I was told I could use this to talk to people here. I'm Clementine. And I guess I'm...new here.

This place doesn't seem too bad. I mean, none of you have seen walkers around, right? I haven't, so Asgard seems safer than back home at least. Unless there are some and I just haven't seen them yet...

But, I wanted to ask about these powers, how they work? And...this war. I'm not sure how much I can help fight, but I can kind of shoot a gun? Lee taught me, to protect myself. I've even used the gun to help protect him! Or maybe there are other ways I could help, once I figure out what my power is?

[But her expression drops for a moment at the thought of Lee, remembering all that happened back home before she arrived here. It's still quite recent and. Well, raw in many ways.]

I'm sure that maid lady didn't explain everything, so if anyone can tell me more about this place, I'd appreciate it.

And I wanted to thank everyone that helped me before, when I first got here.

[ooc: Backdated to before the Vanaheim trip.]

[Ril's inquisitive face appears, bobbing a little as she adjusts the bracelet to prop and balance as she sits.  She's got the hang of finding things and mostly navigating, but she doesn't much look like she's slept any at all.]

I was walking, I was, since walking is better than being still and I was minding my own when straight in front of me.  A tree in my face, it was.  I suppose I ought to look where I'm headed a bit more careful-like, but it wasn't as if I'd said.  "Hello, I'd like myself a tree to come walloping in from nowhere, please!"

[She clears her throat and rubs at her nose a little.  Running into trees is worse than running into folk by ages.]

What do you call these fruits, then?  [She's carefully patting the orange colored apple that she's taken from the Chance tree.]  Lovely shade of orange.  I do assume they're edible and not just pickable.  But, do they taste good?  Because I'll be tasting it all day, I will, and you don't just go around eating alien fruit when it might--

Well.  I do suppose I haven't seen any bodies.  Still, new here, I thought I'd check.

[The video turns on and there's River, eyes bright and grinning. She looks happy, like she wouldn't' want to be anywhere else.

Which is untrue. She would rather be with her crew but if she had to have her crew gone to have this, this peace of mind that she'd longed for, then it's...Well, not a fair trade but she hasn't quite realized that yet.

She should probably bother with some kind of an introduction but that doesn't matter. She's more excited about the new place and people and the silence. So, instead of offering up a name, a greeting or anything else, River just smiles into the camera for a moment before speaking.]

Someone should come explore with me.

Greeting, heroes. I take it this isn't some giant April Fool's Day joke, since that's not for another two months and this is kind of extreme if all you wanted to do was prank me, so this is Nightbird broadcasting the first official Secret Society of Superheroes SOS.

All heroes, respond to this broadcast ASAP so that I can account for your whereabouts. I think it's best if we all convened at a secret location at a designated time and date. I don't need to remind you all that civilian identities are not to be used when responding to official superhero business, right? Asian Persuasion, this means you.

That said, the Society will take motions against the individual who thought it was a good idea to bring us here. Might I remind you all of the Society's constitution? Article five, section nine: the Society does not condone any spontaneous actions without at least a three-fourths majority consensus, especially regarding teleportation travel to undisclosed locations and x-ray vision used in public.

Heroes, we're in dark times. Not only have we been brought to a strange place, our superhero personas are at jeopardy. We'll coordinate our affiliations and readjust our powers at the next meeting if we have to. Take care, heroes, and be safe.

[So Blaine kind of thought everything was a joke and is trying to make sense of it???]